Heena Sharma Blog

  The Galaxy Watch4 Classic is among the first smartwatches to come out from the partnership between South Korean electronics maker Samsung and American technology giant Google. Based on the WearOS platform, the smartwatch gains capabilities that the previous iteration of Samsung Galaxy-series smartwatches lacked simply because they were running on its proprietary operating system, Tizen. But how big are these gains and what else is new in the Galaxy Watch4 Classic? Let’s find out. Design Some radical changes in design would have been in order to mark the beginning of new era for Google WearOS platform-based Samsung Galaxy smartwatches, but Samsung chose to stick to its classic design language. That said, the Galaxy Watch4 Classic looks identical to its predecessor. The existing Galaxy Watch users might find that boring. First-time users, however, would appreciate the classic design with a rotating ring on the bezel and stainless steel case (46mm review unit). While the watch’...

  The Pixel Buds A-series earbuds are of a different kind, in a good way. They do not have a long list of features, and they cut corners even on the most obvious ones like active noise cancellation. But the product shines through when it comes to user experience. Made by Google, these earbuds have built-in Google Assistant for hands-free operations. Besides, they boast identical touch controls on both earbuds. Both these features alone make the Google Pixel Buds A-series an easy-to-use pair of wireless earbuds. But do they justify their price tag? Let’s find out: Starting with design, I liked how Google has kept everything simple here. The earbuds look like baby mushrooms with circular heads and rather elongated tails with in-ear tips at the end. While the in-ear design helps them latch on to the ears, the added stabiliser arc helps them stay put securely and comfortably even in situations like exercising, when many others would come off easily. Like the earbuds, the charging-...

  TCL might be a new name in India, but this Chinese electronics maker is well recognised globally for its feature-rich and competitively-priced smart televisions. Expanding its product portfolio in India, the company recently launched its Android 11 TV platform based smart QLED TVs. Leading the pack are the TCL C725 QLED TV models with screen size of up to 65-inch, quantum LED display tech supported by high dynamic range formats (Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR, HLG), Onkyo sound system powered by Dolby Atmos, and wide input and connectivity options. Besides, it is one of the few smart televisions in the market that come with USB-powered plug-and-play webcam (mics integrated) for video calls and meeting over Google Duo. On paper, the TCL C725 QLED TV seems to be a wholesome package. But is it worth spending Rs 72,990 over for a 55-inch model (review unit)? Let’s find out: Design The TCL C725 QLED TV boasts a bezel-less front profile for a distraction-free viewing experience. Its 55...

  Verizon Communications will make Google's Messages the default messaging app on all Android devices it sells starting next year, the U.S. wireless carrier said on Tuesday. With that move, Verizon would join peers AT&T Inc and T-Mobile US Inc in propping up competition to Apple Inc's iMessage service. Alphabet Inc-owned Google's Messages comes with features similar to those in iMessage, using Rich Communication Services (RCS) technology to replace SMS-based texts. Apple's iMessage is limited to users who use the company's devices, and the iPhone maker has not yet indicated any plans to extend the feature to Android users. With RCS, users can send and receive high-quality photos and videos, chat over WiFi or cellular data and know when messages were read, among other features. Read More

  Slang Labs, the in-app voice assistant company that pioneered the concept of Voice Assistant as a Service (VAaaS), has raised an investment from the Google Assistant Investments programme, along with 100x Entrepreneurs, Velu Murugan, Thomas George and their existing investor Endiya Partners. With this development, Slang Labs becomes one of the first players in the In-App Voice Assistant space globally to be backed by Google. As technology grows more pervasive in people's daily lives due to the ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, in-app voice assistant is a promising touchpoint for e-commerce and other interactions online. Through this technology, consumers will be able to do online transactions in their apps through the power of their voice, and in their preferred language. “This investment by Google emphasises the importance of voice inside apps and highlights the most significant technology trend for this decade - Voice,” said Kumar Rangarajan, Slang Labs co-founder, ...

  Alphabet Inc's Google is ramping up cloud infrastructure in India with a second cluster of data centres in and around capital New Delhi to meet increasing customer demands in a key growth market, senior company executives said. The Google cloud region in Delhi and its outskirts is the U.S. tech giant's second such piece of infrastructure in the country and the tenth in the Asia Pacific. "We have seen enormous growth in demand for Google cloud services in India so expanding our footprint in a new cloud region gives us the ability to offer more capacity for growth over many years," Thomas Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud, told a news conference this week ahead of a formal announcement on Thursday. "It's a large commitment from us in capital and infrastructure investment and it's designed to allow us to capture the opportunity that we see around growth." The new infrastructure will help provide solutions for problems such as disaster recovery within...

  Google on Tuesday announced several initiatives for Indian news industry under its Google News Initiative (GNI), including the launch of Google News Showcase , a programme to train 50,000 journalists in digital skills, and training 800 small and mid sized news organisations grow their digital ad revenue. The Google New Showcase, launched late last year, and currently active in several other countries, will show content from Indian publisher partners in English and Hindi in dedicated News Showcase panels in Google News and on Discover. Showcase will have add support for more Indian languages in the future. As part of the licensing agreements with publishers, Google will also pay participating news organizations to give readers access to a limited amount of paywalled content. From today, Google News Showcase will roll out in India with 30 news publishers including national, regional and local news organizations like The Hindu Group, HT Digital Streams Ltd, Indian Express Gro...

  India’s one of the oldest and largest music labels Tips Music on Thursday announced a music licensing deal with Google for the latter’s newly introduced short-video platform YouTube “Shorts”. As part of this deal, Tips will license its large catalogue to YouTube platform allowing the huge Indian diaspora across the world to create content inspired its ever popular and superhit music library in diverse Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, Marathi, Gujarati, amongst many others. “The deal will allow our community of fans to create fresh new content alongside their favourite music from Tips music library. This partnership will open possibilities for creators and users to explore their creativity which may give us our next future star. What better way to celebrate our new generation of talent,” said Kumar Taurani, founder, Tips Music. YouTube Shorts is a short-video service offering by Google which allows users, creators and artists to create short video c...

  Google Lens can now automatically translate texts in screenshots for devices running Android 11 or above. According to 9To5Google, users can now take a screenshot of a foreign language and let Google Lens do the translation without any intermediate step. The exciting new feature is available on the Google Lens Screenshot UI for devices running Android 11+ . The translate button will become visible on the screenshot and a click on it will detect and translate the required text quickly. Google continues to release innovations that are bound to help it maintain its edge among its competitors, Gizmo China reported on Tuesday. In addition to translating the text, users can also copy the text on the screenshot, which can then be downloaded for offline access or shared on the Google Translate app or social networks like Twitter or Instagram. Read More

  Google has announced to shut down its mobile shopping app for both iOS and Android devices by June this year. The mobile shopping app will, however, be available on the desktop (web) version. It means that shopping.google.com website will remain active. The company confirmed the decision to 9to5Google on Sunday. "Within the next few weeks, we'll no longer be supporting the Shopping app. All of the functionality the app offered users is available on the Shopping tab," the company said in a statement. "We'll continue building features within the Shopping tab and other Google surfaces, including the Google app, that make it easy for people to discover and shop for the products they love," it added. The mobile shopping app allowed users to choose from among thousands of online stores and make purchases using their Google accounts. Read More

  Google Go has crossed the 500 million download mark on the Play Store, indicating the brisk sale of Android Go devices over the past four years. Google Go is a trimmed-down version of the Google app that you get pre-installed on any Android phone. Google Go is pre-installed on Android Go devices, all of which are made for the low-end market segment. Google mandates original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to release 2GB RAM smartphones with Android Go Edition, one can expect the downloads of Google Go to reach even higher in the coming days. Any Android user is free to install Google Go on his/her phone. It is a smaller app and does not use up a lot of data or resources. Google earlier announced a new mode for its Google Go app that enables people to search without their history being saved to their account or device. Read More

  Google Maps is now getting a full-fledged dark mode on Android, the feature has been in testing since September 2020. "These days, we are all experiencing a bit of screen fatigue. With the dark themes in Google Maps soon expanding to all Android users globally, you can give your eyes a much-needed break and save on battery life," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Once your Google Maps has been updated, you can turn it on for your entire phone by heading to Settings > Theme and pick Always In Dark Theme. The company also introduced some updates to Android Auto. In addition to custom wallpapers, Android Auto is now going to feature games as well. For longer drives, you and your passengers can stay entertained with voice-activated games like trivia and "Jeopardy!". Just say, "Hey Google, play a game" to get started. Android Auto is also getting a split-screen feature that will put Maps side by side with media controls, Google is al...

  Australia’s government said Google and Facebook Inc . are nearing agreements to pay domestic media companies for news, in a sign a regulatory standoff may be softening. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg held talks with Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and Google counterpart Sundar Pichai over the weekend. “We’re very close to some very significant commercial deals,” Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting on Monday, according to a transcript sent by his office. “We have made great progress.” Alphabet Inc-owned Google and Facebook oppose planned Australian legislation forcing them to pay media companies for news, and Google has threatened to shut down its search engine if the law is enacted. Parliament will consider the legislation from this week, giving the internet giants an incentive to agree compensation terms for news companies before the law is passed. Facebook declined to comment on any specific talks. “We’ve been engaging with the Australian g...

  Some of the world’s largest technology companies are complaining to US antitrust regulators about Nvidia Corp’s acquisition of Arm because the deal will harm competition in an area of the industry that is vital to their businesses. Alphabet Inc’s Google, Microsoft Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. are among companies worried about the $40 billion deal and are urging antitrust officials to intervene, said people familiar with the process who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorised to speak publicly. At least one of the companies wants the deal killed. Nvidia shares fell as much as 3.1 per cent in New York trading on Friday. The acquisition would give Nvidia control over a critical supplier that licenses essential chip technology to the likes of Apple, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Amazon.com and China’s Huawei. UK-based Arm is known as the Switzerland of the industry because it licenses chip designs and related software code to all comers, rather than competing against...

  Google has updated its YouTube iOS app for the first time in over two months, becoming one of the highest-profile Google apps to see an update since early December. Although there's been speculation that the reason for the lack of updates to iOS versions of Gmail, Docs, Search, and Photos is an attempt to avoid Apple's new privacy labels, Google has explicitly denied that was the case. Last month, the company said in a blog post that it would add the labels to its apps when updates were available, reports The Verge. As Google's iOS apps are updated with new features or to fix bugs, users will see updates to our app page listings that include the new App Privacy Details. These labels represent the maximum categories of data that could be collected -- meaning if you use every available feature and service in the app, the report said. The data you provide to Google products delivers helpful services to users, and users can always control your privacy settings by visi...

  Expanding its wide range of Gen 5 smartwatches, US-based fashion brand Fossil on Thursday unveiled a new smartwatch -- Gen 5E -- in India at Rs 18,495. The smartwatch features an always-on 1.19-inch AMOLED display and options for personalisation including various interchangeable straps and watch faces. "The new Fossil Gen 5E is testament to our teams' effort in creating technology that will not only look fashionable but also help augment the user's lifestyle," Johnson Verghese, Managing Director, Fossil Group, India, said in a statement. "With all the essential features of our Gen 5 smartwatch, the Gen 5E is keenly priced and will be available online for purchase on Myntra and Flipkart," Verghese added. Equipped with the new wellness enhancements that allow users to track sleep history, monitor restfulness, set activity goals and much more, its advanced sensors provide promising data to power all the health and fitness apps, the company said. Re...

  Google has released new Chrome OS updates that will help students run video calls at home while theyre using apps like Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides and other tools, regardless of the device or the strength of their internet connections. The update will help students as they're using the same networks as their parents, guardians and siblings, putting heavy demand on bandwidth. Google Meet will now adapt to the speed of your network by temporarily turning off some video feeds, to make sure you're not interrupted if many people are using your connection at the same time. "Making sure devices can handle video conferences all day while running various apps and software that require a lot of power is incredibly important. That's why we've been focused on improving Chromebooks," Google said in a statement on Thursday. In Chrome OS, Google has improved how Meet videos are streamed. Read More

  In a bid to help users make informed decisions on it Search platform, Google will now show next to most results a menu icon, that people can tap to learn more about the result or feature and where the information is coming from. When available, people will see a description of the website from Wikipedia, which provides free, reliable information about tens of millions of sites on the web.   "If it's a site you haven't heard of before, that additional information can give you context or peace of mind, especially if you're looking for something important, like health or financial information," JK Kearns, Product Manager, Search, said in a statement on Monday. Google has rolled out this feature in English in the US on desktop, mobile web and the Google App on Android. "We hope this makes it easier to learn about the results you see on Google and find the most helpful information for you". Read More

  The popular automated transcription service Otter.ai can now transcribe Google Meet calls in real time with a new Chrome extension. "The Otter.ai Chrome Extension lets you transcribe and caption Google Meet in real time, and save audio transcripts to your Otter account," the company described in a new update. Otter.ai said the Chrome extension works with all its plans, including the free version. Otter.ai also has integration with Zoom video calls. But to use Otter's integrated live transcriptions in Zoom, you'll need to be on a paid Otter and Zoom plan. To use Otter in Google Meet, start Google Meet in your browser and then click on the Otter.ai Chrome Extension icon to open the extension. Read More

  Google has released Chrome 88 as the latest stable version of their cross-platform web browser without any support for Adobe Flash Player. Flash reached its official end of life on December 31, when Adobe officially stopped supporting the software. On January 12, Adobe also began blocking content from playing inside Flash. Apple and Mozilla have also stopped supporting Flash, and Microsoft is scheduled to end support later this month, reports ZDNet. According to web technology survey site W3Techs, only 2.2 per cent of today's websites use Flash code, a number that has plummeted from a 28.5 per cent figure recorded at the start of 2011. First announced in July 2017, Adobe had said to stop updating and distributing Flash Player after December 31, 2020 due to the diminished usage of the technology and the availability of better, more secure options such as HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly. Microsoft has announced to end support for Adobe Flash Player on Microsoft Edge and In...